SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana men's basketball home schedule begins on Sunday afternoon as the Vikings host Bellevue at the Elmen Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play.
About the Bruins
Bellevue was picked to finish 7th in the Frontier Conference poll but are currently receiving votes in the national polls after starting 8-0. Ahmad Bynum averages 23.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. RJ Smith leads the way on the boards with 8.0 rebounds per game to go along with 12.1 points per game and Jaden Phillips scores 18.5 points per game.
Series History
Augustana and Bellevue will match up for the fifth time all-time with the Vikings leading 3-2 in the series. The Bruins have won the last two meetings, although they have not played since the 2005-06 season. All five previous meetings have come in Sioux Falls, a streak that will continue on Sunday.
Last Time Out
Caden Hinker and Tameron Ferguson each recorded a double-double to help lead the Vikings to a 94-86 win at Wayne State to open the NSIC schedule in Rice Auditorium.
The Vikings shot 57.1 percent from the field while going 11 of 21 from deep while leading wire-to-wire. AU dominated inside, outscoring the Wildcats 48-28 in the paint and turned 12 WSC turnovers into 16 points while limiting the Wildcats to eight points off nine Viking turnovers.
Hinker scored a career-high 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds to close his fourth consecutive double-double. Ferguson scored 20 points and dished a career-high 11 assists for the first double-double of his career.
Six Vikings scored in double figures, including Tanner Te Slaa, who knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 15 points on 5 of 9 from the field. Conner Kraft added a career-best 12 points while knocking down all three 3-pointers he attempted. Bennett Fried and Sam Rensch each scored 10 points and recorded a pair of steals.
About the Vikings
Augustana has opened the season 2-3 after a big win over Wayne State to open conference play. They did that after playing a tough non-conference slate, with two of their three losses coming by four points or less.
Tameron Ferguson has been strong to open his sophomore campaign, leading the team with 21.0 points and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from deep. He has tallied at least 20 points in the last four games, including a 27-point performance against Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 15. His 20 point, 11 assist double double also stands as the first point-assist double-double in eight seasons for the Vikings.
After missing all of last season, Caden Hinker has been a dominant force in his return. The redshirt junior has recorded four consecutive double-doubles while leading the team and the NSIC with 9.8 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 22 points against Wayne State on Tuesday and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds against Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 15.
Senior Sam Rensch is third on the team with 12.2 points per game. He is also second on the team with 2.4 assists per game and has grabbed 3.6 rebounds per contest. He has knocked down two 3-pointers in three of five contests and scored a season-high 16 points in the opener against Missouri Western. He also leads the team with 2.0 steals per game.
